Monthly Archives: October 2008

Supposedly, the dog track’s bingo machines were supposed to pay out for Larry Langford and other friends of Milton McGregor and someone is suing after they won and the track wouldn’t pay. Larry denies it, of course, and I am skeptical, but it would be great if it were true. But seriously, if he’s getting rigged payouts, why is he always broke?

The mayor announced that the “Mayor’s Cup Golf Tournament” will be held this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Roebuck Golf Course. Twenty-eight students from Birmingham high schools – most of whom have never played golf before – will compete. Langford, whose office gave $10,000 for the tournament and sought corporate sponsorships as well, said golf is another avenue for students to earn college scholarships.

The state is short of cash so it’s only going to send 75 percent of the money it is supposed to to local schools. But don’t worry — they tell the schools that if they need more money to make payroll, they can borrow it! Brilliant idea, I know.

First off, the McCain people tried to say that Barack Obama was soft on terrorism, even insinuating that because he has a funny name he is a terrorist. This, in short, was the scare tactic of the early part of this decade, and it did not work.
Then, they decided to claim that Barack Obama is a dangerous liberal tax-and-spender. This, in short, was the scare tactic of the eighties and nineties, and it did not work.
So then, they tried to tie Barack Obama to William Ayers and other damned dirty hippies who were running around when he was in kindergarten. This, in short, was the scare tactic of the sixties and seventies, and it did not work.
So now, they’re actually calling Barack Obama a communist. They have at last resorted to the scare tactics of the forties and fifties. It isn’t working either, possibly because it’s so damned laughable.
So what’s next? Are they going to claim that he supports rum, Romanism, and rebellion? Free silver? Emancipation? It’ll probably be Emancipation, you can just tell he’s anti-slavery.

So, of all the cities and towns to choose from in the state of Alabama — nay, the nation — he chooses, as the horribly racist place least likely to vote for Barack Obama, Tuscaloosa, a college town with a 43 percent African-American population. Idiot.

So, UBS, which helped Richard Scrushy in his massive fraud against the shareholders of HealthSouth and the people of the United States of America, has to pay $100 million and forgive $33 million in “debt”. UBS’ vice chairman is Phil Gramm, John McCain’s top economics man. Under the McCain Rules, this means that Gramm is guilty by association. When will John McCain condemn Phil Gramm for his fraud against HealthSouth shareholders?

BMLL wants to buy the Century Plaza mall (wow, I remember when it was the newest and best in the area, now it’s a dump) and convert it into a senior citizens’ recreation center. I don’t know if this is a good idea or not. I also don’t know how the county, broke as it is, figures in this.